The people filming their chores to train humanoid robots
The Globe and Mail · Published on October 20, 2026
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Description
Household chores can be seen as a drain on your time. But to some AI companies, how you do those chores is valuable data. Apps like Atlas Capture are using videos of people sweeping or cleaning a toilet to train humanoid robots. Who are the people doing this work for AI companies? And is the pay (usually around US$3 per hour) worth their time? Joe Castaldo is The Globe’s AI and tech reporter and he tried out the technology firsthand. He’s on the show to tell us what this work looks like, what the people doing this labour think about it and what it means for humanity when we teach robots to do chores. Subscribe to The Globe and Mail's Morning Update to get stories directly in your inbox: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/newsletters/subscribe-morning-update/